BIG IDEAS IN A
CONNECTED CAPITAL
New Zealand’s creative capital, Wellington, is a leader in innovative, high-value business. Home to agenda-setting public policy, Wellington boasts thriving sectors in technology, scientific research and education, and professional services.
Progressive, impactful and outward-looking, New Zealand’s tech and innovation community is leading the way in developing fresh, challenging solutions for a better tomorrow. The country’s master plan - the New Zealand Research, Science and Innovation Strategy - aims to deliver a productive, sustainable and inclusive future. Its ambitious agenda includes tackling big challenges like the transition to a zero-carbon economy by 2050, growing, preserving and protecting the environment, creating fulfilling and high-value jobs and increasing wellbeing.
A culture of collaboration
Surrounded by nature and fuelled by creative energy, Wellington was recently recognised as one of the 21 places of the future by Cognizant. It is primed for powerful collaboration between the city’s business events strategy and the growth plans for industries including creative technology, GovTech and FinTech.
A UNESCO City of Film, Wellington has a proud history in the screen sector, best known for The Lord of the Rings films, King Kong, Avatar and its globally recognised post-production capabilities.
Over the past two decades, Wellington has become the centre of New Zealand’s digital and gaming community, due in part to its innovative tech and screen sectors.
The power of events
A recent multi-year partnership between the New Zealand Game Developers Association and the city is the latest alliance to demonstrate the power events hold to help industry sectors grow and diversify.
Anchoring its annual conference in Wellington from 2022, the association, with the support of the city, is expanding its event content – and its audience – to include film, screen and interactive media, including a focus on the emerging field of virtual production, where gaming, film and screen capabilities are converging.
The conference will take up residence in Wellington’s new convention and exhibition centre, Tākina, this year and, by 2024, attendee numbers are projected to double.
Growing hub of research and innovation
Wellington has become known as a hub of innovation, creating new opportunities for associations looking to advance their sectors.
As the highest-ranking research university in New Zealand, Victoria University of Wellington collaborates with local tech companies to provide industry knowledge to students through guest lectures, project oversight and internships. The university also focuses on long-term research, ensuring it remains at the forefront of technological innovation.
Victoria’s academic strengths were recently highlighted by three international conference wins, including the OzCHI in 2023, which will bring global thought leaders in computer-human interaction to Wellington. These conferences showcase the university's research and create additional opportunities for collaboration.
In this innovative capital, the combination of research expertise and a highly collaborative business community creates new opportunities for organisers to tap into a valuable pool of talent, speakers and decision-makers.
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